Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Petuniaxc3x97hybrida cultivar Condowhite.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant, botanically known as Petuniaxc3x97hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Condowhite.
The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The objective of the breeding program is to create new outwardly spreading Petunias with numerous double flowers with attractive flower colors.
The new Petunia originated from a cross made by the Inventor in April, 1999 of an unidentified Brazilian single-flowered selection of Petunia, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with an unidentified white-colored double-flowered selection of Petunia, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny on Oct. 20, 1999 in Gensingen, Germany, on the basis of its numerous double flowers.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings since Nov., 1999, taken in Gensingen, Germany has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Condowhite have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and daylength without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Condowhitexe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Condowhitexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Outwardly spreading, cascading and uniform plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit.
3. Numerous double flowers that are white in color.
4. Good garden performance.
Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the female parent, the unidentified Brazilian single-flowered selection, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Petunia have larger flowers than plants of the female parent.
2. Plants of the new Petunia have double flower whereas plants of the female parent have single flowers.
Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the male parent, the unidentified white-colored double-flowered Petunia selection, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Petunia are more outwardly spreading and not as upright as plants of the male parent.
2. Plants of the new Petunia are more vigorous and more freely branching than plants of the male parent.
3. Plants of the new Petunia have better garden performance than plants of the male parent.
Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Silk Road, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/450,095, now abandoned. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Gensingen, Germany, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the cultivar Silk Road in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Petunia were more outwardly spreading and not as upright as plants of the cultivar Silk Road.
2. Plants of the new Petunia had larger flowers than plants of the cultivar Silk Road.